


Purity

by DraiochtEve



Series: Japhinne is Heathen for Troublemaker [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Elezen Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), F/M, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Fluff, Japhinne cursing in public, Language of Flowers, One Shot, POV Third Person, Romantic Fluff, Selene being a little shit, Some Humor, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:15:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23182312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DraiochtEve/pseuds/DraiochtEve
Summary: A short oneshot where the Exarch discusses with his lover that the meaning behind her favorite flower does suit her after all even if it goes against the common societal belief.
Relationships: G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch/Warrior of Light
Series: Japhinne is Heathen for Troublemaker [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1508594
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	Purity

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, it has been a while!

The air in the Trivium was rich with the scent of flora, water, and soil. The first proper spring the First had seen in a century showed signs of a bounty like none had seen this generation. Many in the Crystarium flocked to watch botanists and alchemists work together to arrange and plant new saplings bizarre in appearance in sectioned off areas.

Something else bizarre was the buzz of flying insects large in quantity around the room. The Exarch has released a warning earlier in the year that these insects called bees were necessary to ensure the plants bore fruits and vegetables without needing to rely on mages. So, despite the annoyance, everyone did their best to give the little things room to do their job in trust. 

Japhinne, however, huffed and blew air at them as she tried to get a specifically annoying bee out of her face. “Can you fuck off?!”

“There are little ears around, Japhinne,” the Exarch scolded as he patted down the dirt mound at the base of the tree start she was holding up for him. 

“Yeah and these things are so fuc-“

“Ah-hem.”

“They can buzz off! Shoo!” she griped and swatted around her face. Her fairy, Selene, tried her best to flap her wings to catch the insect in a gust, but each time it simply returned with heightened curiosity. High pitched chimes rang out from the fae as her frustration grew and eventually, she gave up. Japhinne whined at her to keep trying, but instead, she flicked her tiny hands in the air to signal she was washing her hands of the ordeal and drifted her way to perch between G’raha’s ears.

G’raha hummed and clapped his hands together to shake the dirt off them. “Mayhaps they confuse you for a flower, dear.”

The elezen pouted and shook her head as she rose to her feet. Still waving her hands around her head, she replied, “Or ' _mayhaps'_ they just want to get on my last nerve!” 

G’raha laughed lightly in amusement watching her try in vain to get a very determined bee to stop hovering so close. Groaning in annoyance, she began to fumble for her spellbook and G’raha quickly conjured a gentle aero spell to push the bee towards a nearby bush with bright blossoms. He quietly apologized to the fae resting on his head as he felt her cling to his ear to keep from being caught in the updraft and she spouted off some curses he was sure.

“Ah, thank you!” Japhinne said with relief as she reclasped the tome to her hip.

The Exarch smiled at her and rose to hide feet with a snarky reply, “Well, I couldn’t let you burn _down the camp_ again now could I?”

Japhinne’s eyes widened at the remark and she stuck her tongue out when she heard Selene’s bell-like snicker. She crossed her arms at them both of them and blew on her bangs to get them to stop sticking on her forehead.

“It was just _one_ tent and I was getting _bit_! Someone had to take care of the little _shiiii_ \- I mean, pests.” She corrected herself as a young hume child ran by. G’raha covered his mouth as he chuckled and placed a hand on the small of her back as he walked with her to the next unopened crate.

“A tent and a workbench...and two supply crates if I recall correctly, dear.”

“But not the whole camp!” The elezen insisted with a frown, “Besides, I wasn’t going to blast the thing! I was gonna smash it between some pages.”  
  
G’raha shook his head as he grabbed a nearby crowbar and wedged it under the sealed lid. Japhinne was quick to do the same on the opposite side and together they worked the nails out.  
  
“I doubt… _*ngh*_ ...bee insides will aid in your arcane abilities. If… _*ngh*_...anything, you’ll summon a massive bee instead of Selene!” he teased between each pry. He fought another laugh as Japhinne’s face contorted in dramatic disgust and Selene pulled on his hair in protest to such an obscene suggestion.

  
“I shall… _*ngh!*_ ...thank you for my nightmares tonight!”

  
  
The lid sprung open with an audible crack and the both of them sighed in relief before discarding it to check the contents inside.

  
  
“Oh!” Japhinne exclaimed and Selene bounced off the miqo’te’s head to get a better look, “These look like-!”

  
  
G’raha flashed her a grin and said, “I’m glad to see they arrived safely. These are the orange trees the Eulmorian’s have been harvesting from. Much larger than what we have here once fully grown.”

  
  
Japhinne’s giddiness was contagious as she immediately rescued one of the plants from its crate and admired the baby blossoms growing on it. The white petals contrasted pleasingly with the green leaves and reflected back the golden hues from Selene’s glow as she examined them herself.

  
  
“They look just like the ones on your tattoo, Japhinne.” G’raha commented as he caressed a blossom in his hand and gave it a quick sniff. 

The elezen hummed in agreement and began to walk towards the fresh plots of dirt waiting to be used. G’raha and Selene followed right behind as Japhinne rambled on.

  
  
“I adore them so much! They are my flower, you know? Had a fortune teller tell me so and it is fate because I love oranges!” Japhinne exclaimed while practically skipping.

  
  
G’raha asked while grabbing some tools, “Did you get the tattoo after that fateful encounter?”  
  


“No no, I already had it by then, but still pretty amazing!”

  
  
Japhinne placed the infant tree next to where G’raha pointed it should go and stretched her arms up in the air with relief. G’raha’s eyes darted to get a glimpse at her shirt rising up, revealing soft skin and the lower blossoms of the tattoo that framed her belly. He wanted to quip that perhaps the fortune teller had caught an eyeful with a “fateful” stretch and simply ran with it, but he didn’t have the heart to ruin her joy on the matter.

  
  
“It suits you.” He softly remarked and got to digging. “Pray tell, have you ever read what orange blossoms mean in the language of flowers?”

Japhinne tilted her head at him and looked at Selene as if she would know. Selene shrugged and fluttered to rest in the tree and Japhinne scratched the back of her head.

  
  
“Can’t say I remember if I have.”

  
G’raha paused his digging for a moment to wipe his brow and reply, “If memory serves correctly, it means purity.”

  
  
The information fell on Japhinne like a bad joke and she snorted loudly before snatching the shovel from his hands. “ _Purity_? I must be more of a failure to the gods than I was originally led to believe if that’s what my flower is meant to represent.” Her tone was dripping with humor, but also a slight hint of hurt that G’raha had slowly grown accustomed to picking up from his lover with such topics. Her gaze glazed over as her mind chewed on the realization and she sharply jabbed the shovel into the dirt where the Exarch had started.  
  


“If anything, I’m the opposite, honestly! I’m a blight, you know. I’m 'tainted' and unruly...” her voice dipped from teasing to pained as she continued listing words and digging. G’raha’s brows furrowed. His heart sank at what he could only imagine what memories were clouding her thoughts as she tried to flash a crooked smile. He knew of many terrible things her uncle and other relatives had spouted at her over the years for not complying to their expectations of her. Despite how well she wore her confidence, there were times her armor would dim and show a dent or two. He disliked it. He especially disliked it at this exact moment in time and almost regretted ever bringing up the subject.

  
  
G’raha pondered for a heartbeat and a thought passed through that made his ears perk. “Purity has many meanings,” he spoke, “To imply you are ' _tainted'_ is incorrect, if I may be so bold to say.”

  
Japhinne gave him an inquisitive look and replied, “What are you on about, Raha?” as she stopped digging and leaned against the shovel handle. “If anyone should know how _impure_ I am~”

  
  
G’raha shushed her and gave her a scolding, but knowing look that only made her give a suggestive one back. Doing his best to hide his floofing tail as to not encourage her to keep going, he continued, “Right there! That right there is what I mean.”

  
  
Her face softened and she blinked as she tried to follow where he was leading.

  
  
“Much like the water not distilled and boiled until all that is retained from the source is removed, you refused to change in the face of adversity about who you are and what you enjoy. You didn’t allow those around you to taint who you are. In that light, you are the _purest_ form of _you_! So no…” G’raha concluded as he closed the space between them (and sidestepped the hole that was truly far too large for the tree now), “...I don’t think you failed in that regard. You are _exactly_ as your flower dictates!”

  
  
Japhinne’s lips parted in awe as she stared into his ruby eyes and he confidently smiled at her, reaffirming his assessment. Her eyes danced back and forth as she watched his gaze for any change and suddenly, she bursted into laughter. 

“What? You don’t like it?” G’raha asked as he released a puff of air and crossed his arms.

  
  
The elezen shook her head and let the shovel fall sideways to the ground before pulling him into an embrace. G’raha’s heart fluttered as he felt her squeeze him tight and bury her face against his left ear. 

“I do like it~ But you’re such a cheeseball.” She commented with a giggle and a kiss to his ear. 

Stating plainly into her shoulder with a muffled voice, he replied, “I may be a cheeseball, but I am right.” and wiggled his ears with victory before pushing her back a bit to hold her face in his hands.  
  


Japhinne’s expression melted into a tender, loving one and he felt himself become weightless as she leaned down to steal a kiss. The moment was cut short, however, by the sound of light twinkling chimes growing ever nearer and the two broke the kiss to turn to the source of the sound. Selene gave them both a wide-eyed smirk and waved her hands at them to keep going as if she wasn’t watching. Japhinne shooed her away as G’raha rolled his eyes and chuckled.

  
“Every day I can see more and more how she takes after you,” G’raha remarked as he slid his hands from the elezen’s cheeks to her shoulders then arms before finally taking a few steps back upon remembering they were in the middle of the Trivium.

With a bluntness that could only belong to her, Japhinne said, “She’s watched us fuck, you know.”

  
  
“ _Japhinne! Wicked white,_ what did I say _-”_

  
  
“She has!”

  
  
“I didn’t ask if-”

G’raha’s reprimands fell on deaf, pointed ears as Japhinne continued teasing and the nearby botanists whispered to each other in amusement over the bond the Exarch and the Warrior of Darkness shared. It was good to start this new season off right with so much lively activity and joy. It was good for the plants and citizens. It was good even for the little bee that had buzzed its way back to Japhinne and spurred on another fit of swatting and complaints.

**Author's Note:**

> I started this weeks ago and didn't get the drive to finish this until tonight. I apologize for any errors as I edited this while half asleep, but I really wanted to post something since it has been too long <3 Please know I have more I am working on and hopefully my drive stays with me <3
> 
> And I really needed this fluff in my life!
> 
> ty for reading!


End file.
